1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an imaging system in which, a desired scene of image signals as shot is reproduced at the same time as the image signals are recorded.
1. Description of the Related Art
The images aired in, for example, a news program by a telecasting station, are those obtained on editing the image and the speech recorded on plural television cameras having enclosed video tape recorders. The images etc edited in this manner are recorded on a video tape and reproduced in the course of telecasting.
On the other hand, if the telecasting station makes live relay broadcasting of a sports game, plural cameras are used simultaneously and selectively depending on the progress of the game to send the images and the speech to respective homes, while the images etc are recorded on a video tape recorder.
If, in the course of the live relay telecasting of sports games, a sports player has made fine play, the scene is sometimes re-played at a slow speed or at an ordinary speed in order to re-transmit the scene to the viewers.
In particular, there are such cameras used for relay broadcast of sports games which are adapted to output image signals at a speed thrice the usual speed, for example, in order to make slow-motion reproduction of an object moving at an elevated speed with a high picture quality. For coping with this, the video tape recorder is designed to be run at a speed thrice the usual speed to record the video signals transmitted from the camera. For slow reproduction, the tape recorder runs the magnetic head at the usual speed to reproduce the video signals. This assures slow reproduction with a smooth movement and a high picture quality.
However, since the video tape recorder usually has only one recording head, it is not possible to reproduce previously recorded images and simultaneously to record images or speech. On the other hand, if desired to record images shot by a camera and simultaneous reproduce an optional scene, it is necessary to record the images simultaneously on plural video tape recorders, to use one of the video tape recorders as a video tape recorder dedicated to recording, and to use the remaining video tape recorders for replay. This means that it is a highly pains-taking operation to record images and to reproduce optional scenes simultaneously.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an imaging system in which it is possible to record images from a camera and to revert to an optional scene to reproduce an image corresponding to the scene.
In one aspect, the present invention provides an imaging system including imaging means for outputting image signals shot of an object, speed changing means for changing the image signals outputted by the imaging means at a first speed into signals of a second speed to output the image signals of the second speed and recording/reproducing means. The recording/reproducing means includes a plurality of input/output processing means to which are inputted the signals of the second speed outputted by the speed changing means and which output the reproduced image signals to outside, and a non-linear accessible recording medium for recording the image signals. The recording/reproducing means has access to the recording medium only within an allocated time slot to output the image signals inputted from the speed changing means to the recording medium. The recording/reproducing means has access to the recording medium only within the allocated time slot to input the reproduced image signals from the recording medium.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a recording/reproducing method for recording/reproducing as-shot image signals including a first step of outputting image signals as shot by imaging means at a first speed, a second step of converting the image signals at the first speed, outputted at the first step, into those at a second speed, and for outputting the converted image signals, a third step of inputting the image signals outputted at the second step and outputting the input image signals to a non-linear accessible recording medium only within an allocated time slot, a fourth step of recording the image signals outputted at the third step on the recording medium, a fifth step of reproducing the image signals recorded at the fourth step on the recording medium and a sixth step of outputting the image signals reproduced at the fifth step only within the allocated time slot to outside at the second speed in the order of the image signals of the first speed.
In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a recording method for recording as-shot image signals including a first step of outputting image signals as shot by imaging means at a first speed, a second step of converting the image signals at the first speed, outputted at the first step, into those at a second speed, and for outputting the converted image signals, a third step of outputting the input image signals to a non-linear accessible recording medium only within an allocated time slot; and a fourth step of recording the image signals outputted at the third step on the recording medium.
According to the present invention, image signals from imaging means can be recorded on recording means, while reversion may be made to an optional scene to read out and reproduce picture signals of the scene.
According to the present invention, image signals of large capacity can be compressed and recorded in this state on a server, while reversion may be made to an optional scene to read out and reproduce picture signals of the scene.